SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A federal court in Missouri ruled that a child’s grandparents and their friend may pursue declaratory-relief claims against a judge in a custody case who had them restrained and drug tested. The grandfather developed an ulcer on his foot, which required partial amputation, as a result of being restrained to a metal bench by his ankle.
There is a “substantial likelihood” that plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights may be chilled as a result of the judge’s alleged policies of drug testing and detaining nonparties, the court ruled.
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